1 =head2 guestfs_add_cdrom
3 int guestfs_add_cdrom (guestfs_h *handle,
6 This function adds a virtual CD-ROM disk image to the guest.
8 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter C<-cdrom filename>.
10 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
12 =head2 guestfs_add_drive
14 int guestfs_add_drive (guestfs_h *handle,
15 const char *filename);
17 This function adds a virtual machine disk image C<filename> to the
18 guest. The first time you call this function, the disk appears as IDE
19 disk 0 (C</dev/sda>) in the guest, the second time as C</dev/sdb>, and
22 You don't necessarily need to be root when using libguestfs. However
23 you obviously do need sufficient permissions to access the filename
24 for whatever operations you want to perform (ie. read access if you
25 just want to read the image or write access if you want to modify the
28 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter C<-drive file=filename>.
30 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
32 =head2 guestfs_aug_close
34 int guestfs_aug_close (guestfs_h *handle);
36 Close the current Augeas handle and free up any resources
37 used by it. After calling this, you have to call
38 C<guestfs_aug_init> again before you can use any other
41 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
43 =head2 guestfs_aug_defnode
45 struct guestfs_int_bool *guestfs_aug_defnode (guestfs_h *handle,
50 Defines a variable C<name> whose value is the result of
53 If C<expr> evaluates to an empty nodeset, a node is created,
54 equivalent to calling C<guestfs_aug_set> C<expr>, C<value>.
55 C<name> will be the nodeset containing that single node.
57 On success this returns a pair containing the
58 number of nodes in the nodeset, and a boolean flag
59 if a node was created.
61 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_int_bool *>,
62 or NULL if there was an error.
63 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_int_bool> after use>.
65 =head2 guestfs_aug_defvar
67 int guestfs_aug_defvar (guestfs_h *handle,
71 Defines an Augeas variable C<name> whose value is the result
72 of evaluating C<expr>. If C<expr> is NULL, then C<name> is
75 On success this returns the number of nodes in C<expr>, or
76 C<0> if C<expr> evaluates to something which is not a nodeset.
78 On error this function returns -1.
80 =head2 guestfs_aug_get
82 char *guestfs_aug_get (guestfs_h *handle,
85 Look up the value associated with C<path>. If C<path>
86 matches exactly one node, the C<value> is returned.
88 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
89 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
91 =head2 guestfs_aug_init
93 int guestfs_aug_init (guestfs_h *handle,
97 Create a new Augeas handle for editing configuration files.
98 If there was any previous Augeas handle associated with this
99 guestfs session, then it is closed.
101 You must call this before using any other C<guestfs_aug_*>
104 C<root> is the filesystem root. C<root> must not be NULL,
107 The flags are the same as the flags defined in
108 E<lt>augeas.hE<gt>, the logical I<or> of the following
113 =item C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP> = 1
115 Keep the original file with a C<.augsave> extension.
117 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NEWFILE> = 2
119 Save changes into a file with extension C<.augnew>, and
120 do not overwrite original. Overrides C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP>.
122 =item C<AUG_TYPE_CHECK> = 4
124 Typecheck lenses (can be expensive).
126 =item C<AUG_NO_STDINC> = 8
128 Do not use standard load path for modules.
130 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NOOP> = 16
132 Make save a no-op, just record what would have been changed.
134 =item C<AUG_NO_LOAD> = 32
136 Do not load the tree in C<guestfs_aug_init>.
140 To close the handle, you can call C<guestfs_aug_close>.
142 To find out more about Augeas, see L<http://augeas.net/>.
144 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
146 =head2 guestfs_aug_insert
148 int guestfs_aug_insert (guestfs_h *handle,
153 Create a new sibling C<label> for C<path>, inserting it into
154 the tree before or after C<path> (depending on the boolean
157 C<path> must match exactly one existing node in the tree, and
158 C<label> must be a label, ie. not contain C</>, C<*> or end
159 with a bracketed index C<[N]>.
161 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
163 =head2 guestfs_aug_load
165 int guestfs_aug_load (guestfs_h *handle);
167 Load files into the tree.
169 See C<aug_load> in the Augeas documentation for the full gory
172 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
174 =head2 guestfs_aug_ls
176 char **guestfs_aug_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
179 This is just a shortcut for listing C<guestfs_aug_match>
180 C<path/*> and sorting the resulting nodes into alphabetical order.
182 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
183 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
184 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
186 =head2 guestfs_aug_match
188 char **guestfs_aug_match (guestfs_h *handle,
191 Returns a list of paths which match the path expression C<path>.
192 The returned paths are sufficiently qualified so that they match
193 exactly one node in the current tree.
195 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
196 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
197 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
199 =head2 guestfs_aug_mv
201 int guestfs_aug_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
205 Move the node C<src> to C<dest>. C<src> must match exactly
206 one node. C<dest> is overwritten if it exists.
208 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
210 =head2 guestfs_aug_rm
212 int guestfs_aug_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
215 Remove C<path> and all of its children.
217 On success this returns the number of entries which were removed.
219 On error this function returns -1.
221 =head2 guestfs_aug_save
223 int guestfs_aug_save (guestfs_h *handle);
225 This writes all pending changes to disk.
227 The flags which were passed to C<guestfs_aug_init> affect exactly
230 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
232 =head2 guestfs_aug_set
234 int guestfs_aug_set (guestfs_h *handle,
238 Set the value associated with C<path> to C<value>.
240 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
242 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs
244 int guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs (guestfs_h *handle,
247 This tells the kernel to flush internal buffers associated
250 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
252 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
254 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getbsz
256 int guestfs_blockdev_getbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
259 This returns the block size of a device.
261 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
262 I<filesystem block size>).
264 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
266 On error this function returns -1.
268 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getro
270 int guestfs_blockdev_getro (guestfs_h *handle,
273 Returns a boolean indicating if the block device is read-only
274 (true if read-only, false if not).
276 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
278 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
280 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsize64
282 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsize64 (guestfs_h *handle,
285 This returns the size of the device in bytes.
287 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>.
289 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
291 On error this function returns -1.
293 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getss
295 int guestfs_blockdev_getss (guestfs_h *handle,
298 This returns the size of sectors on a block device.
299 Usually 512, but can be larger for modern devices.
301 (Note, this is not the size in sectors, use C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>
304 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
306 On error this function returns -1.
308 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsz
310 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsz (guestfs_h *handle,
313 This returns the size of the device in units of 512-byte sectors
314 (even if the sectorsize isn't 512 bytes ... weird).
316 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getss> for the real sector size of
317 the device, and C<guestfs_blockdev_getsize64> for the more
318 useful I<size in bytes>.
320 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
322 On error this function returns -1.
324 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt
326 int guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt (guestfs_h *handle,
329 Reread the partition table on C<device>.
331 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
333 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
335 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setbsz
337 int guestfs_blockdev_setbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
341 This sets the block size of a device.
343 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
344 I<filesystem block size>).
346 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
348 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
350 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setro
352 int guestfs_blockdev_setro (guestfs_h *handle,
355 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-only.
357 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
359 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
361 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setrw
363 int guestfs_blockdev_setrw (guestfs_h *handle,
366 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-write.
368 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
370 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
374 char *guestfs_cat (guestfs_h *handle,
377 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
379 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
380 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
381 as end of string). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_download>
382 function which has a more complex interface.
384 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
385 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
387 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
388 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
391 =head2 guestfs_checksum
393 char *guestfs_checksum (guestfs_h *handle,
394 const char *csumtype,
397 This call computes the MD5, SHAx or CRC checksum of the
400 The type of checksum to compute is given by the C<csumtype>
401 parameter which must have one of the following values:
407 Compute the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) specified by POSIX
408 for the C<cksum> command.
412 Compute the MD5 hash (using the C<md5sum> program).
416 Compute the SHA1 hash (using the C<sha1sum> program).
420 Compute the SHA224 hash (using the C<sha224sum> program).
424 Compute the SHA256 hash (using the C<sha256sum> program).
428 Compute the SHA384 hash (using the C<sha384sum> program).
432 Compute the SHA512 hash (using the C<sha512sum> program).
436 The checksum is returned as a printable string.
438 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
439 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
443 int guestfs_chmod (guestfs_h *handle,
447 Change the mode (permissions) of C<path> to C<mode>. Only
448 numeric modes are supported.
450 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
454 int guestfs_chown (guestfs_h *handle,
459 Change the file owner to C<owner> and group to C<group>.
461 Only numeric uid and gid are supported. If you want to use
462 names, you will need to locate and parse the password file
463 yourself (Augeas support makes this relatively easy).
465 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
467 =head2 guestfs_command
469 char *guestfs_command (guestfs_h *handle,
470 char * const* const arguments);
472 This call runs a command from the guest filesystem. The
473 filesystem must be mounted, and must contain a compatible
474 operating system (ie. something Linux, with the same
475 or compatible processor architecture).
477 The single parameter is an argv-style list of arguments.
478 The first element is the name of the program to run.
479 Subsequent elements are parameters. The list must be
480 non-empty (ie. must contain a program name).
482 The C<$PATH> environment variable will contain at least
483 C</usr/bin> and C</bin>. If you require a program from
484 another location, you should provide the full path in the
487 Shared libraries and data files required by the program
488 must be available on filesystems which are mounted in the
489 correct places. It is the caller's responsibility to ensure
490 all filesystems that are needed are mounted at the right
493 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
494 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
496 =head2 guestfs_command_lines
498 char **guestfs_command_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
499 char * const* const arguments);
501 This is the same as C<guestfs_command>, but splits the
502 result into a list of lines.
504 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
505 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
506 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
508 =head2 guestfs_config
510 int guestfs_config (guestfs_h *handle,
511 const char *qemuparam,
512 const char *qemuvalue);
514 This can be used to add arbitrary qemu command line parameters
515 of the form C<-param value>. Actually it's not quite arbitrary - we
516 prevent you from setting some parameters which would interfere with
517 parameters that we use.
519 The first character of C<param> string must be a C<-> (dash).
521 C<value> can be NULL.
523 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
527 int guestfs_cp (guestfs_h *handle,
531 This copies a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
532 either a destination filename or destination directory.
534 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
538 int guestfs_cp_a (guestfs_h *handle,
542 This copies a file or directory from C<src> to C<dest>
543 recursively using the C<cp -a> command.
545 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
549 char *guestfs_debug (guestfs_h *handle,
551 char * const* const extraargs);
553 The C<guestfs_debug> command exposes some internals of
554 C<guestfsd> (the guestfs daemon) that runs inside the
557 There is no comprehensive help for this command. You have
558 to look at the file C<daemon/debug.c> in the libguestfs source
559 to find out what you can do.
561 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
562 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
566 char *guestfs_dmesg (guestfs_h *handle);
568 This returns the kernel messages (C<dmesg> output) from
569 the guest kernel. This is sometimes useful for extended
570 debugging of problems.
572 Another way to get the same information is to enable
573 verbose messages with C<guestfs_set_verbose> or by setting
574 the environment variable C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG=1> before
577 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
578 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
580 =head2 guestfs_download
582 int guestfs_download (guestfs_h *handle,
583 const char *remotefilename,
584 const char *filename);
586 Download file C<remotefilename> and save it as C<filename>
587 on the local machine.
589 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
591 See also C<guestfs_upload>, C<guestfs_cat>.
593 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
595 =head2 guestfs_drop_caches
597 int guestfs_drop_caches (guestfs_h *handle,
600 This instructs the guest kernel to drop its page cache,
601 and/or dentries and inode caches. The parameter C<whattodrop>
602 tells the kernel what precisely to drop, see
603 L<http://linux-mm.org/Drop_Caches>
605 Setting C<whattodrop> to 3 should drop everything.
607 This automatically calls L<sync(2)> before the operation,
608 so that the maximum guest memory is freed.
610 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
612 =head2 guestfs_exists
614 int guestfs_exists (guestfs_h *handle,
617 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file, directory
618 (or anything) with the given C<path> name.
620 See also C<guestfs_is_file>, C<guestfs_is_dir>, C<guestfs_stat>.
622 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
626 char *guestfs_file (guestfs_h *handle,
629 This call uses the standard L<file(1)> command to determine
630 the type or contents of the file. This also works on devices,
631 for example to find out whether a partition contains a filesystem.
633 The exact command which runs is C<file -bsL path>. Note in
634 particular that the filename is not prepended to the output
637 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
638 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
642 int guestfs_fsck (guestfs_h *handle,
646 This runs the filesystem checker (fsck) on C<device> which
647 should have filesystem type C<fstype>.
649 The returned integer is the status. See L<fsck(8)> for the
650 list of status codes from C<fsck>.
658 Multiple status codes can be summed together.
662 A non-zero return code can mean "success", for example if
663 errors have been corrected on the filesystem.
667 Checking or repairing NTFS volumes is not supported
672 This command is entirely equivalent to running C<fsck -a -t fstype device>.
674 On error this function returns -1.
676 =head2 guestfs_get_autosync
678 int guestfs_get_autosync (guestfs_h *handle);
680 Get the autosync flag.
682 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
684 =head2 guestfs_get_e2label
686 char *guestfs_get_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
689 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
692 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
693 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
695 =head2 guestfs_get_e2uuid
697 char *guestfs_get_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
700 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
703 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
704 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
706 =head2 guestfs_get_path
708 const char *guestfs_get_path (guestfs_h *handle);
710 Return the current search path.
712 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
713 return the default path.
715 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
716 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
718 =head2 guestfs_get_qemu
720 const char *guestfs_get_qemu (guestfs_h *handle);
722 Return the current qemu binary.
724 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
725 return the default qemu binary name.
727 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
728 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
730 =head2 guestfs_get_state
732 int guestfs_get_state (guestfs_h *handle);
734 This returns the current state as an opaque integer. This is
735 only useful for printing debug and internal error messages.
737 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
739 On error this function returns -1.
741 =head2 guestfs_get_verbose
743 int guestfs_get_verbose (guestfs_h *handle);
745 This returns the verbose messages flag.
747 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
749 =head2 guestfs_grub_install
751 int guestfs_grub_install (guestfs_h *handle,
755 This command installs GRUB (the Grand Unified Bootloader) on
756 C<device>, with the root directory being C<root>.
758 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
760 =head2 guestfs_is_busy
762 int guestfs_is_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
764 This returns true iff this handle is busy processing a command
765 (in the C<BUSY> state).
767 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
769 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
771 =head2 guestfs_is_config
773 int guestfs_is_config (guestfs_h *handle);
775 This returns true iff this handle is being configured
776 (in the C<CONFIG> state).
778 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
780 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
782 =head2 guestfs_is_dir
784 int guestfs_is_dir (guestfs_h *handle,
787 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a directory
788 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
789 other objects like files.
791 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
793 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
795 =head2 guestfs_is_file
797 int guestfs_is_file (guestfs_h *handle,
800 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file
801 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
802 other objects like directories.
804 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
806 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
808 =head2 guestfs_is_launching
810 int guestfs_is_launching (guestfs_h *handle);
812 This returns true iff this handle is launching the subprocess
813 (in the C<LAUNCHING> state).
815 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
817 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
819 =head2 guestfs_is_ready
821 int guestfs_is_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
823 This returns true iff this handle is ready to accept commands
824 (in the C<READY> state).
826 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
828 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
830 =head2 guestfs_kill_subprocess
832 int guestfs_kill_subprocess (guestfs_h *handle);
834 This kills the qemu subprocess. You should never need to call this.
836 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
838 =head2 guestfs_launch
840 int guestfs_launch (guestfs_h *handle);
842 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
845 You should call this after configuring the handle
846 (eg. adding drives) but before performing any actions.
848 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
850 =head2 guestfs_list_devices
852 char **guestfs_list_devices (guestfs_h *handle);
854 List all the block devices.
856 The full block device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda>
858 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
859 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
860 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
862 =head2 guestfs_list_partitions
864 char **guestfs_list_partitions (guestfs_h *handle);
866 List all the partitions detected on all block devices.
868 The full partition device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda1>
870 This does not return logical volumes. For that you will need to
873 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
874 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
875 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
879 char *guestfs_ll (guestfs_h *handle,
880 const char *directory);
882 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
883 there is no cwd) in the format of 'ls -la'.
885 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
886 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
888 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
889 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
893 char **guestfs_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
894 const char *directory);
896 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
897 there is no cwd). The '.' and '..' entries are not returned, but
898 hidden files are shown.
900 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. Programs
901 should probably use C<guestfs_readdir> instead.
903 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
904 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
905 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
909 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_lstat (guestfs_h *handle,
912 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
914 This is the same as C<guestfs_stat> except that if C<path>
915 is a symbolic link, then the link is stat-ed, not the file it
918 This is the same as the C<lstat(2)> system call.
920 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
921 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
922 or NULL if there was an error.
923 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
925 =head2 guestfs_lvcreate
927 int guestfs_lvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
929 const char *volgroup,
932 This creates an LVM volume group called C<logvol>
933 on the volume group C<volgroup>, with C<size> megabytes.
935 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
937 =head2 guestfs_lvm_remove_all
939 int guestfs_lvm_remove_all (guestfs_h *handle);
941 This command removes all LVM logical volumes, volume groups
942 and physical volumes.
944 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
946 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
947 can easily destroy all your data>.
949 =head2 guestfs_lvremove
951 int guestfs_lvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
954 Remove an LVM logical volume C<device>, where C<device> is
955 the path to the LV, such as C</dev/VG/LV>.
957 You can also remove all LVs in a volume group by specifying
958 the VG name, C</dev/VG>.
960 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
964 char **guestfs_lvs (guestfs_h *handle);
966 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
967 of the L<lvs(8)> command.
969 This returns a list of the logical volume device names
970 (eg. C</dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00>).
972 See also C<guestfs_lvs_full>.
974 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
975 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
976 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
978 =head2 guestfs_lvs_full
980 struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *guestfs_lvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
982 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
983 of the L<lvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
985 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *>
986 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
987 or NULL if there was an error.
988 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_lv_list> after use>.
992 int guestfs_mkdir (guestfs_h *handle,
995 Create a directory named C<path>.
997 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
999 =head2 guestfs_mkdir_p
1001 int guestfs_mkdir_p (guestfs_h *handle,
1004 Create a directory named C<path>, creating any parent directories
1005 as necessary. This is like the C<mkdir -p> shell command.
1007 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1011 int guestfs_mkfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1013 const char *device);
1015 This creates a filesystem on C<device> (usually a partition
1016 of LVM logical volume). The filesystem type is C<fstype>, for
1019 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1021 =head2 guestfs_mount
1023 int guestfs_mount (guestfs_h *handle,
1025 const char *mountpoint);
1027 Mount a guest disk at a position in the filesystem. Block devices
1028 are named C</dev/sda>, C</dev/sdb> and so on, as they were added to
1029 the guest. If those block devices contain partitions, they will have
1030 the usual names (eg. C</dev/sda1>). Also LVM C</dev/VG/LV>-style
1033 The rules are the same as for L<mount(2)>: A filesystem must
1034 first be mounted on C</> before others can be mounted. Other
1035 filesystems can only be mounted on directories which already
1038 The mounted filesystem is writable, if we have sufficient permissions
1039 on the underlying device.
1041 The filesystem options C<sync> and C<noatime> are set with this
1042 call, in order to improve reliability.
1044 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1046 =head2 guestfs_mount_options
1048 int guestfs_mount_options (guestfs_h *handle,
1049 const char *options,
1051 const char *mountpoint);
1053 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1054 allows you to set the mount options as for the
1055 L<mount(8)> I<-o> flag.
1057 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1059 =head2 guestfs_mount_ro
1061 int guestfs_mount_ro (guestfs_h *handle,
1063 const char *mountpoint);
1065 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1066 mounts the filesystem with the read-only (I<-o ro>) flag.
1068 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1070 =head2 guestfs_mount_vfs
1072 int guestfs_mount_vfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1073 const char *options,
1074 const char *vfstype,
1076 const char *mountpoint);
1078 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1079 allows you to set both the mount options and the vfstype
1080 as for the L<mount(8)> I<-o> and I<-t> flags.
1082 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1084 =head2 guestfs_mounts
1086 char **guestfs_mounts (guestfs_h *handle);
1088 This returns the list of currently mounted filesystems. It returns
1089 the list of devices (eg. C</dev/sda1>, C</dev/VG/LV>).
1091 Some internal mounts are not shown.
1093 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1094 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1095 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1099 int guestfs_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
1103 This moves a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
1104 either a destination filename or destination directory.
1106 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1108 =head2 guestfs_pvcreate
1110 int guestfs_pvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1111 const char *device);
1113 This creates an LVM physical volume on the named C<device>,
1114 where C<device> should usually be a partition name such
1117 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1119 =head2 guestfs_pvremove
1121 int guestfs_pvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1122 const char *device);
1124 This wipes a physical volume C<device> so that LVM will no longer
1127 The implementation uses the C<pvremove> command which refuses to
1128 wipe physical volumes that contain any volume groups, so you have
1129 to remove those first.
1131 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1135 char **guestfs_pvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1137 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1138 of the L<pvs(8)> command.
1140 This returns a list of just the device names that contain
1141 PVs (eg. C</dev/sda2>).
1143 See also C<guestfs_pvs_full>.
1145 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1146 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1147 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1149 =head2 guestfs_pvs_full
1151 struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *guestfs_pvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1153 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1154 of the L<pvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1156 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *>
1157 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1158 or NULL if there was an error.
1159 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_pv_list> after use>.
1161 =head2 guestfs_read_lines
1163 char **guestfs_read_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1166 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
1168 The file contents are returned as a list of lines. Trailing
1169 C<LF> and C<CRLF> character sequences are I<not> returned.
1171 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
1172 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
1173 as end of line). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_read_file>
1174 function which has a more complex interface.
1176 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1177 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1178 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1182 int guestfs_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
1185 Remove the single file C<path>.
1187 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1189 =head2 guestfs_rm_rf
1191 int guestfs_rm_rf (guestfs_h *handle,
1194 Remove the file or directory C<path>, recursively removing the
1195 contents if its a directory. This is like the C<rm -rf> shell
1198 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1200 =head2 guestfs_rmdir
1202 int guestfs_rmdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1205 Remove the single directory C<path>.
1207 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1209 =head2 guestfs_set_autosync
1211 int guestfs_set_autosync (guestfs_h *handle,
1214 If C<autosync> is true, this enables autosync. Libguestfs will make a
1215 best effort attempt to run C<guestfs_umount_all> followed by
1216 C<guestfs_sync> when the handle is closed
1217 (also if the program exits without closing handles).
1219 This is disabled by default (except in guestfish where it is
1220 enabled by default).
1222 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1224 =head2 guestfs_set_busy
1226 int guestfs_set_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
1228 This sets the state to C<BUSY>. This is only used when implementing
1229 actions using the low-level API.
1231 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1233 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1235 =head2 guestfs_set_e2label
1237 int guestfs_set_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
1241 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
1242 C<device> to C<label>. Filesystem labels are limited to
1245 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2label>
1246 to return the existing label on a filesystem.
1248 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1250 =head2 guestfs_set_e2uuid
1252 int guestfs_set_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
1256 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
1257 C<device> to C<uuid>. The format of the UUID and alternatives
1258 such as C<clear>, C<random> and C<time> are described in the
1259 L<tune2fs(8)> manpage.
1261 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2uuid>
1262 to return the existing UUID of a filesystem.
1264 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1266 =head2 guestfs_set_path
1268 int guestfs_set_path (guestfs_h *handle,
1271 Set the path that libguestfs searches for kernel and initrd.img.
1273 The default is C<$libdir/guestfs> unless overridden by setting
1274 C<LIBGUESTFS_PATH> environment variable.
1276 The string C<path> is stashed in the libguestfs handle, so the caller
1277 must make sure it remains valid for the lifetime of the handle.
1279 Setting C<path> to C<NULL> restores the default path.
1281 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1283 =head2 guestfs_set_qemu
1285 int guestfs_set_qemu (guestfs_h *handle,
1288 Set the qemu binary that we will use.
1290 The default is chosen when the library was compiled by the
1293 You can also override this by setting the C<LIBGUESTFS_QEMU>
1294 environment variable.
1296 The string C<qemu> is stashed in the libguestfs handle, so the caller
1297 must make sure it remains valid for the lifetime of the handle.
1299 Setting C<qemu> to C<NULL> restores the default qemu binary.
1301 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1303 =head2 guestfs_set_ready
1305 int guestfs_set_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1307 This sets the state to C<READY>. This is only used when implementing
1308 actions using the low-level API.
1310 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1312 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1314 =head2 guestfs_set_verbose
1316 int guestfs_set_verbose (guestfs_h *handle,
1319 If C<verbose> is true, this turns on verbose messages (to C<stderr>).
1321 Verbose messages are disabled unless the environment variable
1322 C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG> is defined and set to C<1>.
1324 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1326 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk
1328 int guestfs_sfdisk (guestfs_h *handle,
1333 char * const* const lines);
1335 This is a direct interface to the L<sfdisk(8)> program for creating
1336 partitions on block devices.
1338 C<device> should be a block device, for example C</dev/sda>.
1340 C<cyls>, C<heads> and C<sectors> are the number of cylinders, heads
1341 and sectors on the device, which are passed directly to sfdisk as
1342 the I<-C>, I<-H> and I<-S> parameters. If you pass C<0> for any
1343 of these, then the corresponding parameter is omitted. Usually for
1344 'large' disks, you can just pass C<0> for these, but for small
1345 (floppy-sized) disks, sfdisk (or rather, the kernel) cannot work
1346 out the right geometry and you will need to tell it.
1348 C<lines> is a list of lines that we feed to C<sfdisk>. For more
1349 information refer to the L<sfdisk(8)> manpage.
1351 To create a single partition occupying the whole disk, you would
1352 pass C<lines> as a single element list, when the single element being
1353 the string C<,> (comma).
1355 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1357 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1358 can easily destroy all your data>.
1362 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_stat (guestfs_h *handle,
1365 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1367 This is the same as the C<stat(2)> system call.
1369 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1370 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1371 or NULL if there was an error.
1372 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1374 =head2 guestfs_statvfs
1376 struct guestfs_statvfs *guestfs_statvfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1379 Returns file system statistics for any mounted file system.
1380 C<path> should be a file or directory in the mounted file system
1381 (typically it is the mount point itself, but it doesn't need to be).
1383 This is the same as the C<statvfs(2)> system call.
1385 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_statvfs *>
1386 (see L<statvfs(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1387 or NULL if there was an error.
1388 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1392 int guestfs_sync (guestfs_h *handle);
1394 This syncs the disk, so that any writes are flushed through to the
1395 underlying disk image.
1397 You should always call this if you have modified a disk image, before
1400 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1402 =head2 guestfs_tar_in
1404 int guestfs_tar_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1405 const char *tarfile,
1406 const char *directory);
1408 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarfile> (an
1409 I<uncompressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1411 To upload a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_in>.
1413 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1415 =head2 guestfs_tar_out
1417 int guestfs_tar_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1418 const char *directory,
1419 const char *tarfile);
1421 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1422 it to local file C<tarfile>.
1424 To download a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_out>.
1426 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1428 =head2 guestfs_tgz_in
1430 int guestfs_tgz_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1431 const char *tarball,
1432 const char *directory);
1434 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarball> (a
1435 I<gzip compressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1437 To upload an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_in>.
1439 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1441 =head2 guestfs_tgz_out
1443 int guestfs_tgz_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1444 const char *directory,
1445 const char *tarball);
1447 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1448 it to local file C<tarball>.
1450 To download an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_out>.
1452 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1454 =head2 guestfs_touch
1456 int guestfs_touch (guestfs_h *handle,
1459 Touch acts like the L<touch(1)> command. It can be used to
1460 update the timestamps on a file, or, if the file does not exist,
1461 to create a new zero-length file.
1463 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1465 =head2 guestfs_tune2fs_l
1467 char **guestfs_tune2fs_l (guestfs_h *handle,
1468 const char *device);
1470 This returns the contents of the ext2, ext3 or ext4 filesystem
1471 superblock on C<device>.
1473 It is the same as running C<tune2fs -l device>. See L<tune2fs(8)>
1474 manpage for more details. The list of fields returned isn't
1475 clearly defined, and depends on both the version of C<tune2fs>
1476 that libguestfs was built against, and the filesystem itself.
1478 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of
1479 strings, or NULL if there was an error.
1480 The array of strings will always have length C<2n+1>, where
1481 C<n> keys and values alternate, followed by the trailing NULL entry.
1482 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1484 =head2 guestfs_umount
1486 int guestfs_umount (guestfs_h *handle,
1487 const char *pathordevice);
1489 This unmounts the given filesystem. The filesystem may be
1490 specified either by its mountpoint (path) or the device which
1491 contains the filesystem.
1493 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1495 =head2 guestfs_umount_all
1497 int guestfs_umount_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1499 This unmounts all mounted filesystems.
1501 Some internal mounts are not unmounted by this call.
1503 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1505 =head2 guestfs_upload
1507 int guestfs_upload (guestfs_h *handle,
1508 const char *filename,
1509 const char *remotefilename);
1511 Upload local file C<filename> to C<remotefilename> on the
1514 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
1516 See also C<guestfs_download>.
1518 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1520 =head2 guestfs_vgcreate
1522 int guestfs_vgcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1523 const char *volgroup,
1524 char * const* const physvols);
1526 This creates an LVM volume group called C<volgroup>
1527 from the non-empty list of physical volumes C<physvols>.
1529 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1531 =head2 guestfs_vgremove
1533 int guestfs_vgremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1534 const char *vgname);
1536 Remove an LVM volume group C<vgname>, (for example C<VG>).
1538 This also forcibly removes all logical volumes in the volume
1541 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1545 char **guestfs_vgs (guestfs_h *handle);
1547 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
1548 of the L<vgs(8)> command.
1550 This returns a list of just the volume group names that were
1551 detected (eg. C<VolGroup00>).
1553 See also C<guestfs_vgs_full>.
1555 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1556 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1557 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1559 =head2 guestfs_vgs_full
1561 struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *guestfs_vgs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1563 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
1564 of the L<vgs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1566 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *>
1567 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1568 or NULL if there was an error.
1569 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_vg_list> after use>.
1571 =head2 guestfs_wait_ready
1573 int guestfs_wait_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1575 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
1578 You should call this after C<guestfs_launch> to wait for the launch
1581 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1583 =head2 guestfs_write_file
1585 int guestfs_write_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1587 const char *content,
1590 This call creates a file called C<path>. The contents of the
1591 file is the string C<content> (which can contain any 8 bit data),
1592 with length C<size>.
1594 As a special case, if C<size> is C<0>
1595 then the length is calculated using C<strlen> (so in this case
1596 the content cannot contain embedded ASCII NULs).
1598 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1600 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1601 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1606 int guestfs_zero (guestfs_h *handle,
1607 const char *device);
1609 This command writes zeroes over the first few blocks of C<device>.
1611 How many blocks are zeroed isn't specified (but it's I<not> enough
1612 to securely wipe the device). It should be sufficient to remove
1613 any partition tables, filesystem superblocks and so on.
1615 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.